Improvement in casting projectiles for fire-arms



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN A. MASON, OF NEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN CASTING PROJECTILES FOR FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 34,153, dated January14, 1862.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN A. MASON, of Newport, in the State of RhodeIsland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machinery forForming Projectiles for Fire- Arms, termed Mini Ballsg and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making partof this specification, in Which- Figure l is a vertical section of themachine, taken in the plane of the axis of the camshaft; Fig. 2, ahorizontal section taken at the line A a of Fig. l; Eig. 3, a verticalsection of the cam-shaft, representing the cams and and their yokes; andEigs. 4 and 5 represent an elevation and section of the projectile whenformed.

The same letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The object of my invention is to form by pressure that kind of projectile generally known as the Mini ball, represented in Figs. 4 and 5 ofthe accompanying drawings.

The lead or other metal is first formed into wire or round rods of lessdiameter than, and out into slugs of such length as that each shall beof the weight of, the intended projectile. These slugs are introduced byband one at a time into a vertical hopper a of the machine. As a slug isintroduced it descends in the hopper and is there held by horizontalspring-followers b o b, which pass through the lower part of the hopper.It may be held up by other and equivalent means, such as a sliding stopat the lower end of the hopper; but if the attendant is sufficientlyattentive such means may be dispensed with. Below the hopper there aretwo dies c c, which when in close contact present a cavity of the ex actform of the exterior of the intended projectile. These dies are iittedinto the faces of two blocks of metald d, or the required form may becut into the faces of these two blocks, in which case they will be thedies; but I prefer to make the dies separate and tit them into cavitiesin the face of the blocks. These blocks slide on a strong bed-plate eand between two solid cheek-pieces ff and under a cap-plate g, to whichthe hopper is secured, and the said cap-plate is firmly secured to theupper surface of the cheek-pieces. The blocks should be accuratelyfitted to slide in ways thus formed, but without play. The rear ends ofthe blocks are connected with toggle-joint levers h 7L, which are inturn connected with the bed-plate and cheeks, and the toggle-levers arehinged to the lower ends of two vertical slides i t', working in guidesj, and these are in turn coupled to rods la 7c,

having yokes Z l, which embrace cams m m on the cam-shaft n. These camsare of the form represented in Fig. 3, and are so shaped as to operatethe two toggle-levers simultaneously to separate the two diessufficiently to permit the projectiles when completed to fall out freelythrough a hole o in the bed-plate and to force the dies into contact andthere hold them firmly, so that they shall not yield when the lead isforced into them. The togglelevers should be in a straight line at thetime the dies are closed. So soon as the dies are closed the slug oflead is forced into them by a plunger or punch p of the form of the rearend of the intended projectiles. This plunger is secured to the lowerend of a slide q, working between ways r r, and at the upper end of theslide there is a connecting-rod s, provided at the upper end with a yoket, which embraces a cam u on the cam-shaft n, formed as represented, andso located on the shaft relatively to the cams m m that as soon as thedies are closed and while the concentric part of the cams are keepingthem closed the cam Lt forces down the plunger or punch, which, actingon the upper end of the slug .of lead, forces it down from the hopperinto the cavity of the dies, that the lower end may be pointed, whileatthe same time it enters the upper endof the slug to form the cavity inthe rear part of the projectile, thereby spreading the lead all aroundto form the periphery with the `grooves, as represented in Figs. 4: and5. The cams m m then separate the two dies, and the cam u lifts theplunger, which releases the formed projectile, that it may drop throughthe hole in the bed-plate. The dies are then again closed and anotherslug of lead put into the hopper preparatory to the 4 next descent ofthe plunger.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting my claim of invention to themechanism above described for imparting the required movements, as otherand equivalent means maybe substituted therefor.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is*- The reciprocating dies and plunger, substantially as described, incombination with the hopper provided with the spring-stops or equivalentmeans for holding up the slug of lead until it is acted upon by theplunger, as set forth.

BENJ. A. MASON.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM S. WHITE, DAVID SCOTT.

